Road Trip: The Final Frontier!
by Zevnen
Summary: Takes place the summer after "Long Hours". The Chosen Children go on a road trip! Chapter Yon- Beachside Sorrow: Accidentally in Love
1. Prelude to Disaster

**Road Trip: The Final Frontier**

By _ShinobiWolf_

Chapter Ichi: Prelude to Disaster: Takuya is Driving a Large Vehicle!

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Okay… I don't know the legal driving age for Japan. Or whether or not they're allowed to drive while they're in high school. But seeing as how I don't live in Japan, I'm not going to get every detail right. That's right. I live in Michigan. Not Japan. Now that that's over, I would like to say that I got the idea for this last night. And if anyone has any ideas as to what stops they should make, feel free to tell me. You will get credit. And if you haven't noticed already, this chapter has a very long title. I got that from Rurouni Kenshin, and every chapter title will be that long. And I'm using Japanese numbers for the chapters. _Ichi_ means _one_.

_Disclaimer- I don't own Digimon, or Rurouni Kenshin for that matter._

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"Kou-kun! We're going to be late!"

"Hold your horses, I'm comin' I'm comin'!" A black-haired youth raced down a flight of stairs.

"Maybe if we hurry the others won't leave without us."

"I doubt they really would."

"You're right. They're probably just griping about us being half-an-hour late. Although driving off probably _has_ crossed their minds…"

XXXXX 

"Where are those two?" Junpei asked for about the fourth time.

"Right here!" Kouichi and Yuki called in unison.

"It's about time! Where have you been?" Takuya asked from the driver's seat of the RV.

"Well, Kouichi was _supposed_ to give me a wake-up call."

"I wouldn't have had to if you hadn't mutilated your fifth alarm clock…"

"Children! Can we please get going?" Izumi was more than a little irritated. Kouichi and Yuki ceased their sibling-like bickering and boarded the RV the group had pooled together to rent. Yuki sat next to Kouji ( surprise surprise) and Kouichi joined them. Tomoki, Junpei, and Izumi sat on the couch opposite of them, and as mentioned before, Takuya was in the driver's seat.

Wait… Takuya in the driver's seat?!

"Uh, Takki? Have you ever driven anything this _big_ before?" Kouji asked, slightly frightened.

"Nope."

"That wasn't the answer I was hoping for…"

"Don't sweat it! I'm sure I'll get the hang of it eventually."

"Eventually?!" Was the collective response. Yuki sighed.

Takuya's eyes glowed as he held up a brass key. "This will be the key to our hopes and dreams. We will have freedom!"

"Yeah!"

"We will have adventure!"

"Yeah!"

"And we will have total lack of a spacious bathroom!"

"Yeah! Er, eww!"

XXXXX 

Actually, Takuya was quite the good driver. Except for the time he almost made a chipmunk pancake, which resulted in him getting chewed out by Izumi.

After about forty-five minutes everyone finally started to get bored. Izumi began to write in her diary, Tomoki and Junpei whipped out their Gameboy SPs (Junpei's is indigo and Tomoki's is shiny platinum!), and Yuki and Kouichi were trying to see how many times they could poke Kouji until one of them ended up bruised.

Then, Takuya slammed on the brakes. "Well guys, here's our first stop!"

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Well, how was it so far? I'll give you a hint as to what their first stop is. It has lots of animals in enclosures…


	2. High Noon at Monkey Mountain: Run, Boys,...

**Road Trip: The Final Frontier!**

By _ShinobiWolf_

Chapter Ni: High Noon At Monkey Mountain: Run, Boys, Run!

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            If I never get any reviews, I don't know how long I'm going to be able to continue this. If I get more reviews, the chances are I'll be more inclined to update more often.

            This isn't going to be one of those "insane humor" fics. Yes, it will have humor in it, but it will also have serious parts: romance, friendship, and a bit of angst, as in this chapter.

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            "Well you guys, here's our first stop!" Takuya stopped the RV outside of a large zoo. Everyone was overjoyed to finally get outside and stretch his legs. The visit to the school started off somewhat normal. Kouji, Yuki, and Kouichi went one way while the rest went another.

            Yuki looked as Kouji stopped at one enclosure in particular. She smiled.

            Wolves.

            Maybe it was the wolf Digimon he turned into, or maybe it was just his personality. For as long as Yuki had known him, Kouji always had a love for wolves.

He seemed… drawn to them. Yuki joined him at the railing. Kouichi joined them too, until something more appealing caught his eye.

            "Hey! Lions!"

xxxxx

            "Takuya, I don't think you should stick your hand in the cage…"

            "Aw, come on Izumi. It's not like anything's going to- aahhg!"

            "Eeeek!"

            "Ha ha ha! Fooled ya!" Takuya held up his unmarred hand. Izumi huffed and resumed watching some fish in a pond. Junpei and Tomoki were watching a troop of baboons. Or rather, were trying to. One very chubby baboon had parked itself right in front of them.

            "Hey, Kid, make it move…" Junpei nudged Tomoki.

            "No way. You do it."

            "Hey! Monkeyface! Your big blue butt is in the way!"

            The baboon immediately came to life and charged the two friends, but his face collided against the glass barrier.

            "Aahhh!!!" Junpei and Tomoki screamed, the latter jumping into the former's arms. Once they realized what they were doing, Junpei dropped his friend unceremoniously on the ground.

            "Oomf!"

            "Heh heh heh… Sorry kid…"

xxxxx

            By the time the two groups rejoined, it was noon, and they met at one of the many food stands to have lunch. Takuya guzzled down his fifth soda for the day.

            "He's gonna regret that later…" Junpei took a bite out of his sloppy joe.

            "And, um, Junpei? Speaking of regrets…" Tomoki pointed to a very PO'd baboon racing their way.

            "Aahhhh!!!" Junpei, Tomoki, and Takuya abandoned their table Izumi and the others sat by as their group was again separated. Five zoo employees followed soon after.

            Kouichi took a sip of his soda as he watched.

xxxxx

            "Dang, what'd you do?!" Takuya would collapse if he had to run for much longer.

            "Hey, don't look at me." Tomoki panted. "Junpei was the one who said its butt was big…"

            They stopped under an overhanging walkway. Takuya tried to stretch out his aching legs.

            "That thing was so fat… There's no way it could have kept up with us."

            A few pebbles dropped from the walkway above. The three looked up to discover their greatest fear. Well, second greatest, next to that karaoke thing they all did in ninth grade…

            "Aieee yii yiiii!!!" The baboon leaped from the walkway and the chase resumed.

xxxxx

            Yuki fingered a dead leaf, tossing it aside when Kouichi sat next to her.

            "Are you alright? You're not sick, are you?"

            "No, that's not it…"

            "Then what is?" Kouichi knew he didn't have to ask. It wasn't as common as before her accident, but she had that empty look to her eyes again.

            It melted quickly, though, as Kouji came back from the bathroom. Kouichi smiled.

            "The Three Stooges aren't back yet?"

            Kouichi and Yuki shook their heads. Kouichi leaned forward as something struck his mind. "Hey, if they don't some back…We would get the RV to ourselves…"

            "Scratch that. Here they come." Izumi straightened her headband.

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	3. A Criminal on the Loose: It Goes from Ba...

**Road Trip: The Final Frontier!**

By _ShinobiWolf_

Chapter San- A Criminal On the Loose: It Goes from Bad to Worse

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_First of all, thank you to **Zoleth, GemmaniGirl, Cave Cat, Wedge, and Sparklegirl Sassy** for reviewing. I've never really gotten reviews in this fast before, so it really means a lot to me. And thank you to **Wedge** for the writing tips. I'm not the kind of person who comes up with stuff to write on a weekly basis, so my writing suffered for it. This time around there's more narrative paragraphs than dialogue, compared to the last two chapters. Not to mention that this chapter is twice as long. Every author has their own unique style of writing, but I'll welcome any tips for how to improve on it. Just no flaming. It doesn't make matters any better, and besides, it's just plain rude. And I did say in the summary that this is a sequel. If you don't understand who Yuki is, or what her accident was, I highly suggest that you read "Changing Fate" and "Long Hours" right now, in that respective order._

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It was beginning to grow late. Tiredness plagued them all, but Takuya was hit the hardest. Hours of staring at gray road were starting to make his eyes bloodshot. Kouji sat in the passenger seat next to him.

"Maybe I should take over for the night."

"Nah, I'll be fine." Takuya suddenly found himself wide-awake. "On second thought…" He stepped on the brakes so hard that he sent Kouji to the windshield. "She's all yours!" He leaped over sleeping teenagers with amazing speed as he raced to… the bathroom. Kouji peeled himself from the floor, which is where he found himself after colliding with the windshield. He checked the rear-view mirror.

_It was a good thing no one was behind us…_ And while he was at it, he straightened his newly cut bangs. He couldn't believe how light his head felt, especially after he had about half of his ponytail chopped off. He adjusted the seat shifted the RV into gear.

A few moments later, Takuya returned from the bathroom and slumped down in the passenger seat.

"Junpei told you you'd regret all that soda. I'd ask you why you do stupid things, but that would be pointless-"

Takuya was already fast asleep, a huge snot bubble coming from his nose. Kouji continued to drive throughout the night. And surprisingly enough, everyone else slept through it all.

xxxxx

And so it was decided that Takuya and Kouji would trade off driving duties. And being mid-day the next day (and after a full night of rejuvenating sleep), Takuya was at the wheel again. Not that he was enjoying it, of course. They had been in a constant downpour ever since he had awoken, and it showed no signs of letting up. And those dang windshield wipers were getting on his nerves… But contrary to the stormy surroundings, the inside of the RV was comfortable and dry. Not to mention the air held the scent of mouth-watering Italian pasta.

It was Izumi's turn to make lunch on the humble RV stove. She sighed, not able to wait until it was done. Not that she was that hungry… Kouji, Kouichi, and Yuki were waiting patiently, but Junpei and Tomoki were starting to drool… Izumi had the most relieved look on her face when the kitchen timer finally went off.

By the time everyone was done, there wasn't a single scrap left.

"Man, Izumi. Where'd you learn to cook like that?" Takuya patted his expansive belly.

"From my mother, not that I haven't already told you fifteen times…"

"Oh, right."

"Hey guys, I just thought… What if Bokomon and Neemon were on this trip with us? It'd be kind of like last time…" Tomoki pointed out as he handed Yuki his plate, which was licked clean.

"Yeah, except without the 'getting chased by evil Digimon' part. Too bad we can't just open up our own portal… It'd be pretty sweet to have those two around." Junpei held his D-Tector up in order to examine it. After their last foray into the Digital World four years ago, their D-Tectors failed to return to their original states.

Takuya rose from the couch to return to the driver's seat. (He **did** pull the RV over to the side of the road so that he could eat as well.) He stopped as he heard a knock at the door. Seeing as how they were parked to the side of a busy freeway, he was curious. Takuya had a brief conversation with someone before shutting the door. The others didn't like this at all. Needless to say, Takuya looked freaked.

"Well, who was it?" Kouichi asked.

"It was a cop…"

"He didn't give you a ticket or anything, did he?" Izumi gasped.

"No. I don't know how to tell you guys this, but…" Takuya earned some anxiously curious looks from the others. "A criminal just escaped from a prison in this area."

"Yer kidding, right?" Skeptical Junpei asked. _A convict on the loose? I mean, come on! What are the chances of that?_

"No, I'm not kidding…"

This news shocked them, but they knew that if they kept right on driving they would be all right. And they solemnly swore to not pick up any hitch hikers, especially if they were wearing prison garb. In no time at all they were on the road again with Takuya as their faithful leader. Izumi and Kouichi had to carry Junpei back to his seat, though, on account of the poor boy had fainted while standing up.

xxxxx

Not even twenty minutes later, the weather had taken a turn for the worse. Rain fell in sheets so heavy that visibility out the side windows was pretty much nil. A deafening thunderclap knocked Kouji out of a peaceful nap in his place in the passenger seat. He growled at no one in particular before trying in vain to find another comfortable spot on the seat. Tomoki wouldn't peel his face from the window above the couch.

"You really **can't** see anything…"

"What are you looking for Kid?"

"You just need to relax." Izumi tried to sooth Tomoki's fears. "No silly criminal is going to get us. Not as long as we're in this sturdy, trusty RV." No sooner were the words out of her mouth than the RV lurched slightly, and a not very promising flapping sound came from the outside.

Tomoki gave Izumi a look. "You were saying?"

She instinctively started to chew on her thumbnail. _Okay okay, breathe. You're trying to break that habit._ Takuya pulled over and went for the door.

"Wh-What are you doing?!"

"Erm, fixing the problem?"

"Out in weather like this?! With an escaped convict waiting around the corner of the RV to murder you?!"

"Izumi! Chill! This isn't some teenage horror flick! Besides, you're choking Junpei…"

"Oh, sorry…" Izumi had to virtually peel her fingers from his throat. "Well, maybe you should just wait until the storm lets up."

"Maybe you're right." Takuya sat on what little couch space was left. They decided that since they weren't going anywhere for a while, they should pop in a movie. Tomoki decided on "Shrek". The others had never seen it before (Save for Junpei.) so they didn't have any objections.

xxxxx

_A/N: Could you imagine Shrek dubbed into Japanese?_

xxxxx

Takuya didn't have to look out the window to figure that the storm still hadn't let up yet. And they had already gone through half of the movie. Kouji gave up on his futile quest for sleep and joined Yuki on the floor to watch the movie. But at any given time when he would glance at her, she would either not be watching the movie or nervously chewing on a potato chip. He wrapped his arm around her shoulders to comfort her. (Not escaping the eyes of half the people behind them, mind you.)

_There's something outside. I just know there is._ It was at this precise time that Yuki wished NeoLucemon hadn't created her with such sensitive hearing. A lump rose in her throat as Takuya stood and reached for the door.

He silently cursed to himself. They just had to not bring jackets. He heard the door creak and turned to discover that Kouji had followed him out.

"What are you doing out here?"

"What does it look like? Helping. And bringing this." Kouji held up a big flashlight.

Lo and behold, one of the back tires was flat. Takuya grabbed the spare while Kouji went back to get a couple of tools. They met back at the flat tire, and suddenly realized. They hadn't the foggiest idea as to how to change the tire.

"Hey, what are you doing here?"

"Eeeeeeeek! The convict is going to kill us!" The two frightened boys jumped into each other's arms.

"Actually, he was captured a couple of miles back…"

The boys slowly opened one eye at a time. It was the cop from before. Then they looked at each other. "Hey, get off…"

"You grabbed me first."

"You kids need some help?"

"Yeah, sure…"

xxxxx

The whole group was relieved to have sunshine the next day. Which was good, considering that their next stop was…

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	4. Beachside Sorrow: Accidentally in Love

**Road Trip: The Final Frontier!**

By _ShinobiWolf_

Chapter Yon: Beachside Sorrow: Accidentally in Love

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Quote of the Update:

"I hereby sentence you to be chased by an unpredictable man in a gorilla suit."

- Judge Trudy, The Amanda Show

_Try writing about ten pages in one sitting… Since I forgot to put the disclaimer in the first chapter, here it is. I don't own Digimon, or "Accidentally in Love" by Counting Crows. Hm, eight reviews… Maybe I can get to ten to fifteen with this next update. This chapter will contain some Takumi._

Japanese Guide: Oi- Hey

-kun- Honorific- Used for male students or those who have grown up together.

Nii-san- Brother

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"I've never seen so much white sand in my life!" Izumi marveled as Kouji searched for a place to park.

"Oo, oo, we're finally at a beach!" For just one moment there, everyone else could've sworn that the younger Tomoki was with them, what with the way he enthusiastically ran for his swim trunks and towel. The moment the RV shifted into "Park" everyone rushed for their bags.

xxxxx

"Jeez, why do guys have to be so loud?" Izumi gave the door a disgusted look. The boys were changing in the main part of the RV, which left the one bedroom for the two girls. They were already changed, but judging from the ruckus the guys were making, they weren't anywhere close to being done.

"If you knew that, you'd be rich."

"No kidding." Izumi admired her pale-skinned friend. Yuki was smart, strong, and had just about the best boyfriend a girl could wish for. Izumi wrapped a towel around her waist. Yellow, to go with her pink swimsuit covered in white daisies. Yuki threw her towel over her shoulder, clad in a purple swimsuit with denim cut-offs. "I bet Kouji'll like that one. It really brings out your eyes."

Yuki tried to hide her red cheeks, but her pale skin made that impossible. However, she knew exactly how to get her back. "I'm sure I could say the same to you about Takuya…"

Izumi created a whole new shade of red. As of two months ago, she found herself to have a crush on the brown-haired goggle boy.

"Is everyone decent?" Tomoki called from behind the shut door. Izumi opened it.

"Yeah. And I thought **I** took a long time to get changed."

xxxxx

The water was actually rather warm. Kouji and Yuki chose to sit on the beach, at least for a while. Takuya decided that he was tired of dunking Junpei underwater and left to sit with the other two.

"My gosh, is that you, Takuya?"

"Huh, wha?" Takuya looked up from his beach blanket just as a bikini-clad girl ran up to him. He was going to ask 'do I know you?', but this stranger's drop dead gorgeous looks had him stunned. _Wait a sec. Hot girl talking to a class clown. This won't end pretty… She probably just wants to dump sand on my head or something…_

"He-llo, Takuya, I'm talking to you!" The strange girl tapped his dropped chin back into place. "Don't you remember me from fifth grade? Haruka?"

"Haruka, hm… you were the principle's daughter, weren't you?"

"Bingo."

"Hey guys, we're going to the drink stand for some Dr. Pepper, you wanna come wi- Who's that?!" Izumi almost dropped her towel.

"Hey Izumi! This is an old friend of mine from elementary school. Her name is Haruka."

The tall, beautiful, black-haired girl held out her hand somewhat expectantly. Izumi reluctantly shook it.

_Kota Haruka… Now I remember. She goes to the high school at the other end of the city. She's rich, spoiled, and has a boyfriend for every day of the week…_

"You know what? Soda sounds like an excellent idea right now. Come on, it's on me." Haruka led the way, taking Takuya's arm in her own.

Junpei glanced to his side to Izumi, as they climbed the stairs that led to a small plaza. She never said anything, but her eyes had the strongest look of jealousy.

Junpei quit his infatuation with the Italian girl ages ago. Once he stopped worshipping the ground she walked on, Izumi became one of his closest friends. But that look in her eyes was pure malice…

xxxxx

_Of course, she just **has** to sit that close to him. _Izumi rested her head on her hands as she bitterly sipped her soda through a straw. Yuki left a while ago to take Kouichi and Tomoki their sodas (They stayed on the beach.). _Why didn't I go with her? The sight of Haruka sweet-talking my Takuya is making sick… Wait- **My** Takuya?! What on earth am I thinking?! I don't know if he even likes me back. Maybe this whole thing is an accident…_ Izumi bit her lip when a certain song started to play on the stand's radio. She decided right then that she needed to use the bathroom. She got up and left without a word, earning a confused glance from Takuya.

_So she said "What's the problem baby?"_

_What's the problem? I don't know_

_Well maybe I'm in love_

_Love think about it_

_Every time I think about it_

_Can't stop thinkin' 'bout it_

_How much longer will it take to cure this?_

_Just to cure it 'cause I can't ignore it_

_If it's love_

_Love makes me wanna turn around and face me_

_But I don't know 'nothin 'bout love_

Izumi splashed frigid water onto her face. The cold water mixed with her tears. If it hadn't been for her puffy eyes, you never would have known that she cried. She opened the bathroom door, and immediately regretted it. She hurriedly shut the door again and sank to the floor, leaning against the door for support. She shut her eyes in an attempt to hold back even more tears.

_Oh _

_Come on, come on_

_Turn a little faster_

_Come on, come on_

_The world will follow after_

_Come on, come on_

_Because everybody's after love_

Takuya clamped his hand over Haruka's mouth when she tried to kiss him again. He never had to say anything after that; his glare said it all. He left Haruka speechless as he jogged over to the girls' bathroom.

xxxxx

"Kouichi?! What are you-"

"Shh." Kouichi shushed Tomoki. "I'm hunting seagulls…"

The spirit of ice sweat-dropped. "No more caffeine for you tonight…"

Step by step, Kouichi approached the flock of seagulls. He dove for one, landing in the sand belly first. He opened his arms to discover that they were empty. He looked up to also discover his intended target sitting two feet in front of him. The seagull looked purely ticked off, and- Gosh! He never thought a seagull could growl like that…

xxxxx

"Oi, Tomoki. Have you seen Kou-kun?" Yuki handed Tomoki his drink. Kouichi promptly ran by, scared for his life. A flock of near-rabid seagulls followed soon after.

"…"

_So I said I'm a snowball runnin'_

_Runnin' down into the spring that's comin'_

_All this love_

_Melting under blue skies belting out_

_Sunlight shimmering love_

_Oh baby I surrender to the strawberry ice cream_

_Never ever render all this love_

_Well, I didn't mean to do it_

_But there's no escaping your love._

_Oh_

_These lines of lightning mean we're_

_Never alone, never alone, no no_

_Come on, come on_

_Move a little closer_

_Come on, come on_

_I wanna hear you whisper_

_Come on, come on_

_Settle down inside my love_

"Zumi-chan, open the door."

A muffled voice gave him his answer. "Why don't you just go spend some time with your girlfriend…"

"Girlfr- Oh… That's what this is all about? Haruka's **not** my girlfriend." _Though I don't know why she'd think…_

"Then what was that you just did?"

"Listen, I sure as heck don't know why she kissed me, but I didn't enjoy it one little bit. Takuya was startled to discover that the door opened just wide enough for him to slip through. He joined Izumi against the door.

"So you're not…"

"No."

Izumi hugged her knees to her chest, a slight smile at the corner of her mouth. She froze when he wiped away her tears.

"Puffy eyes don't suit you. Come on." Takuya stood, taking her hand with him.

_Oh _

_Come on, come on_

_Jump a little higher_

_Come on, come on_

_If you feel a little lighter_

_Come on, come on_

_We were once upon a time in love_

Izumi stopped Takuya when they left the bathroom. Not quite completely the clueless kid he used to be, he got the hint. She blushed as he took her hands in his own, inching his face closer and closer, until…

**_Splat_**

The top of his head suddenly felt wet. He removed his goggles, now completely splattered with seagull crap. Takuya picked up a big stick and immediately gave chase.

"I'll teach you to bombardier my head! Come back here you rotten weasel with feathers!!!"

Izumi stood there, her cheeks red. She suddenly decided to chew on her thumbnail.

_We're accidentally in love_

_I'm in love, I'm in love_

_I'm in love, I'm in love_

_I'm in love, I'm in love, accidentally_

_I'm in love, I'm in love_

_I'm in love, I'm in love_

_I'm in love, I'm in love, accidentally_

"Kou-kun, what am I going to do with you…" Yuki bandaged a scrape of Kouichi's cheek. Finally finished with his face, she moved on to the various cuts and scrapes all over his arms.

The seagulls caught up to him.

Kouji and Junpei descended the plaza steps.

"Nii-san?! What the heck happened to **you**?!"

_Come on, come on_

_Spin a little tighter_

_Come on, come on_

_And the world's a little brighter_

_Come on, come on_

_Just get yourself inside my love_

_I'm in love_

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